Al Nasr Leisureland won the team gold at the 14th UAE National Figure Skating Championships, beating Abu Dhabi Figure Skating (ADFS) by 28 points yesterday.
Held at Al Nasr Leisureland, the host team amassed 361 points against 333 for ADFS while Sharjah Ladies Club completed the podium with 125 points.
Ukrainian instructor Luda Kalenuk, the woman behind the event, also runs the figure skating programme at Al Nasr.
A former member of the USSR and Ukraine national teams, Kalenuk came to the UAE 20 years ago to become an instructor at Al Nasr and has since played a pivotal role in establishing the sport here.
Nine teams and over 160 skaters took part in yesterday’s championships, including a team that flew in from Qatar.
“This is the 14th year that I’ve been running the competition and every year we have more and more teams coming. It started with three teams and now we’re up to nine,” Kalenuk told Sport360°.
“I feel the sport is really growing and more and more people are getting interested in it, especially after they come and watch this competition or the shows.”
The ages of the contestants varied from those barely four years to 18-year olds who competed across seven different skill levels (from level 1 up to platinum), in different age groups and disciplines.
Almost every nationality one can think of was represented, including Emirati and Qatari females, who said they take much pride in representing the Gulf.
“It’s my first competition and I know I’m one of very few Emiratis who compete in this sport, but I just went for it,” said 15-year-old Sharjah Ladies Club skater Maryam Al Raeesi, who won the technical freestyle level 3 event.
“I wanted to try something that everyone said was difficult to do – the challenge appealed to me. And it helps that my family is so supportive.”
One of the more professional skaters was Egypt’s Amira Abdul Moati, who trains up to five hours a day and competes at international events. The 14-year-old, who represents Dubai’s Ice Stars Skating Club, won silver in the technical platinum level and was placed fourth in the artistic event.
“My freestyle wasn’t so good but I still got second place,” said Abdul Moati. “My biggest goal for this summer is to jump a double axel and some triples; I feel I’m getting close to nailing them.”
